Lords of Shadow Producer: 2D is a “Niche Market,” Konami Wants Castlevania to be “Mainstream Again”

February 25, 2014Written by Jason Dunning

There’s been countless 2D Castlevania titles over the years, with Symphony of the Night representing many people’s favorite. Recently though, the Castlevania franchise has gone the 3D route, with Lords of Shadow 2 (out today in North America) marking the latest 3D outing.

Previous to Lords of Shadow 2, there was the 2D Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate on 3DS and consoles (in HD), but Producer Dave Cox told GamesTM (via NintendoEverything) in the latest issue that he believes 2D games are a niche market. On top of that, you shouldn’t expect Lords of Shadow 2 developer MercurySteam to be working on a 2D entry into the series anytime soon:

I think those days are gone, yes. I think hardcore gamers would love to play another 2D Castlevania, but the reality is that it’s a very niche market and Konami really want this series to be mainstream again.

We took this direction in order to reach that bigger audience, otherwise we would have carried on with the 2D approach. That’s not to say I don’t think there will ever be another 2D game in the series; it might happen, but just not from MercurySteam.

When you look at the future on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, I don’t think people want to play 2D games on those consoles. Core gamers may still want something like that, but there’s an expectation among the wider public for big, epic games.

Do you think there’s still a place in this world for 2D Castlevania games? Let us know in the comments below.